Google's latest statistics for the Android platform distribution shows that Jelly Bean is making a stronger start than Ice Cream Sandwich did.

The figures in this table are based on the number of Android devices that have accessed Google Play in the 14-day period up to December 3, 2012.

Representing the data in a chart shows that Gingerbread has a neat half of the pie while between them Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean account for over a third.

This still leaves around 13% of Android users loyal to Froyo (Android 2.2) or earlier. But who can blame satisfied Android smartphone users for not wanting to part with their trusted devices? Or to put it another way - the hardware still works and there are no upgrades in the offing.

On the other hand the new and highly desirable Nexus 4 phone, which uses Android 4.2 which currently has just 0.8% of the total activity, may provide the impetus required to see a real shift in the distribution landscape over the xmas period.

(Click on chart to enlarge)

You many not initially be impressed that Jelly Bean now has a 7 percent share. But when you take into account that it is only 5 months since it was launched it is doing very well and making an impact much more quickly than Ice Cream Sandwich did which is good news both for developers and end users.